The present invention relates to structure for connecting a connector for charge and/or data communication for use in portable telephones.
As shown in FIG. 9, with a conventional portable telephone, an I/F socket 92 is exposed at an opening 91 provided on one end of a telephone body 9. An I/F connector 2 is fitted into the opening 91 to have an end portion 21 of the I/F connector 2 engaged with the I/F socket 92, to connect the telephone body 9 to a personal computer, whereby data communication is performed with a portable telephone.
However, when the end portion 21 of the I/F connector 2 is engaged with the I/F socket 92 of the portable telephone 9, difficulty is encountered in adjusting the positions of the portion 21 and the socket 92. If the connector 2 is pushed, with force, with the positions displaced, the connector 2 is caused to hit an end portion of a casing entailing the likelihood of causing damage.
An object of the present invention is to provide auxiliary structure for connecting a connector wherein an end portion of the connector can easily be engaged with a socket of a portable telephone body and the connector is unlikely to be damaged when the connector is connected to the socket of the portable telephone.
In the auxiliary structure for connecting a connector for use in a portable telephone of the invention, a connecting auxiliary member 3 made of softer material than the one used for a casing of the telephone body 1 is fixed to an opening 11 of a telephone body 1. The connecting auxiliary member 3 is formed with an insertion hole 31 for the connector 2 to be fitted into, and formed with a guide face 32 surrounding the insertion hole 31 for guiding an end portion 21 of the connector 2 to the position of engagement with a socket 5.
According to the auxiliary structure for connecting a connector of the invention described, when the connector 2 is fitted into the insertion hole 31 of the connecting auxiliary member 3 to connect the connector 2 for charge and/or data communication to the socket 5 of the telephone body 1, the connector 2 is guided by the guide face 32 of the connecting auxiliary member 3 to have the end portion 21 led automatically to the position of engagement with the socket 5, so that the user needs not to make delicate adjustment of the position. In this step, even if the connector 2 is pressed forcefully against the guide face 32 of the connecting auxiliary member 3, the connector is unlikely to be damaged since the connecting auxiliary member 3 is made of softer material than the one used for the casing.
Stated specifically, the connecting auxiliary member 3 is removably attached to the opening 11 of the telephone body 1. The closure member 4 for the opening equipped with a cover member 40 for closing the opening 11 can be attached to the opening 11 of the telephone body 1, and is interchangeable with the connecting auxiliary member 3.
With this specific construction, one of the connecting auxiliary member 3 and the closure member 4 for the opening is selectively usable according to whether the data communication, for example, is performed using a personal computer. In other words, the user who will conduct the data communication usually attaches the connecting auxiliary member 3 to the portable telephone body 1 to perform charge and/or data communication with use of the I/F connector 2. On the other hand, the user who will not conduct the data communication usually attaches the closure member 4 for the opening to the telephone body 1, and when a battery is to be charged, the closure member 4 for the opening is removed to perform charging, for example, with use of a charger comprising contact electrodes.
As described above, with the auxiliary structure for connecting a connector for use in the portable telephone of the invention, when the connector is connected to the socket of the portable telephone body, the end portion of the connector can be engaged with the socket easily. Further, the connector is unlikely to be damaged.